At that, he grabbed my suitcase and slammed it down. “Stop acting like a child, Julia! This is Kate’s last competition. I’m only asking you to help her this one time.” Ryan tugged my hand again as he pleaded, "I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”
Ignoring him, I bent down, picked up my broken suitcase, and made my way toward the door.
But he wouldn’t move.
He blocked the doorway, exasperation etched across his face. "Julia, what do you really want? I’ve apologized and given you my reasons. Why are you still angry over such a trivial matter? Even if the industry blacklists you, I can still take care of you.”
Seeing his concerned expression, a surge of bitterness rose in my stomach. “If that’s the case, then go ahead and protect her. But leave me out of it, Ryan.”
He ran a hand over his face, rubbing his temples as though he was the one suffering, completely oblivious to why I was finally, irrevocably done.
A few days passed without a word from Ryan, not a single message. But the day before my scheduled medical check-up, he finally called.
"Haven't you had enough of this? Isn't it time to come back home? Come on, Julia." His tone was cold and sharp.